Geography and Language of Oroqen (鄂伦春族)
Oroqen people live in northeastern China and their language belongs to the Manchu-Tungusic group. Having no written script, they have learnt how to use written Han Chinese. Numbers declined throughout the 20th century until, after the 1950s, the population began to increase once more.
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Population: 7,000
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Distribution: Inner Mongolia and Heilongjiang
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Language: Oroqen and Han
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Religion: Shamanism, Animism
Climate of Oroqen (鄂伦春族)
The Oroqen Autonomous Banner, of which 97 per cent is forested, is home to most Oroqen people, though some live in Heilongjiang province and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Alihe is the seat of government in the autonomous banner, which boasts railways, motorways, hotels, cinemas and restaurants, among other things.
History of Oroqen (鄂伦春族)
Oroqen people originally lived north of the Heilong River and south of the Outer Hinggan Mountains, but pillaging by Tsarist Russia in the late 17th century forced them to migrate. Communes comprised between five and twelve families who shared a male ancestor. The commune was the basic economic unit; tools were owned by all members, who would hunt together, the catch distributed equally among the commune.
During the Qing dynasty, guns, use of horses and iron implements were introduced, encouraging bartering and private ownership. All these things brought about significant social and economic change. Families would now leave the communes they had been part of and set up independently.
Modern Times of Oroqen (鄂伦春族)
After the 1911, warlords ruled and, in 1931, Japanese troops destroyed Oroqen cottages and farm tools. In 1945, only around a thousand Oroqen people remained.
Traditions of Oroqen (鄂伦春族)
Traditional life was based on hunting and fishing. Women also hunt and boys would begin learning the necessary skills at around seven or eight years old. By age seventeen, they would be hunting alone. Young women would be attracted by this and everyone would respect it. Hunters ride horses who carry provisions on the way as well as catches on the way back. Their horses are sturdy with large hooves, preventing them sinking into the boggy terrain.
Animal pelts and cloth have animal patterns sewn onto them by Oroqen women, who also make bowls, boxes, etc from the bark of birch trees. Oroqen girls are taught by their mothers from a young age and are doing housework by their early teens. One traditional taboo prevented home births –women had to go to a hut outside and stay for a month after the birth.
Culture of Oroqen (鄂伦春族)
Singing and dancing are a big part of Oroqen life, and people often gather to sing and dance when hunters return or at festivals. They have a rich variety of folk songs about nature, hunting and love.Instruments such as the ‘Wentuwen’ (hand drum) and the ‘Pengnuhua’ (harmonica) produce sounds which imitate those of wild animals and birds and are often used as a lure.
Religion of Oroqen (鄂伦春族)
Ancestor and nature worship play a large part in their Shamanist or Animist beliefs; tigers are called ‘long tail’ and bears ‘granddad’. Hunts are not planned; it is believed bears’ shoulder blades can see through plans; and offerings are made to dead bears’ souls.
Oroqens practise wind burials – the dead person is placed in a hollowed-out tree trunk on two-metre supports, the head pointing south. Horses are sometimes killed to accompany their masters. Cremation is only practised when a young person has died of a contagious disease.
Oroqen people can only marry within their own clan; marriages are monogamous and proposed by ‘go-betweens.’
Modern Times of Oroqen (鄂伦春族)
In 1951, the Oroqen Autonomous Banner was founded and autonomous townships were established. The economy diversified and permanent housing was erected. Schools, hospitals, factories, cinemas and banks have been set up in Oroqen areas and disease prevention has helped eliminate illness.
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